Jockey Knew This Was Special : Horse racing: Ron Turcotte rode Secretariat to greatness, one year after winning two Triple Crown races on Riva Ridge.

The little man in the wheelchair threw his head back joyfully, exulting at the memories of his horse running away from the others, galloping so easily, so effortlessly.

Ron Turcotte is paralyzed, the residue of a horrible racing accident in 1978 that robbed him of the use of his legs. It could not take away his memories.

Turcotte spent Derby week in Kentucky, autographing copies of his autobiography “The Will To Win.” He also marked the 20th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown by placing a plaque at the grave of his old partner and recalled the slice of racing history they wrote together.

What a time that was.

In 1972, Turcotte rode Riva Ridge to victories in the Derby and Belmont Stakes. Riva Ridge finished fourth in the Preakness only because he could not handle the mud.

“He was a champion in his own right,” Turcotte said. “It’s unfair that he lived in the shadow of his stablemate. But he was no Secretariat. There were no other Secretariats.”

Turcotte first saw the big red colt as a 2-year-old, when Riva Ridge was the sport’s big name. The jockey knew he had something special on his hands. “He was head and shoulders above the others,” Turcotte said. “He was good looking, very manageable. He was a ham. He loved being around people.

“He had a different disposition than other horses. There was no mean streak in him. You could ride him any way you wanted. And what a heart. He would go through anything. He never backed down. He’d fly around turns.”

The first time horse and jockey met was at Saratoga, launching a brilliant chase into thoroughbred history.

“In the Hopeful Stakes, he was just galloping,” Turcotte said. “After a quarter-mile, he was not picking up the others. I gathered him in, chirped to him once and he took off. I thought, ‘Whoa!’ He went by the field around the turn, flying so fast. He won by five lengths.”

“He won the Futurity at Belmont the same way. Then the Garden State and the Bay Shore. The Gotham was the first time he ran on the lead and he set a track record.”

Suddenly, in the weeks before the Derby, the horse seemed not to be himself. On April 21, he finished third in the Wood Memorial, four lengths behind Sham and a head behind Angle Light. “One week before the race, he was not impressive in his workouts. He just was not himself,” Turcotte said.

The diagnosis was an abscess on the horse’s upper lip. It was the best news for Turcotte. “I was relieved when we found out what it was,” he said. “By Wednesday it had healed.”

The crisis was over. Secretariat was ready for the Triple Crown sweep, getting better with each workout and better with each race.

In the Derby, Turcotte let his mount gallop for the early part of the race “He picked up horses on his own,” he said. “Every quarter was faster than the last one and the last quarter was the fastest of all.” His time for the 1 1/4 miles was 1:59 2/5--the fastest Derby in history and made Turcotte the first jockey in 70 years to win consecutive Derbies.

“He trained magnificently for the Preakness and set another track record,” Turcotte said. Pimlico did not credit Secretariat with the mark, listing his victory a 1:54 2/5, a fraction off Canonero II’s record. The Racing Form clocker as well as three others had him under the mark, and that’s good enough for Turcotte.

Then came the Belmont, the exclamation point in Secretariat’s 3-year-old campaign. Turcotte knew he was heading for history. “Every workout was two full seconds faster than the one before,” he said. “We began to think he was invincible.”

So much so that the jockey confided to trainer Lucien Laurin that their horse was a cinch. Sham, who had gamely chased him in the Derby and Preakness was burned out. The rest of the field was token, outclassed competition.

“I told Laurin if I get beat, I’ll hang up my tack,” Turcotte said. “I’ll quit.”

Not to worry.

Secretariat simply ran away from the others. “I thought, I can’t be that far in front,” Turcotte said. “I knew he was traveling pretty fast. I looked under my arm and all I saw was shadows. My curiosity got the best of me.”

As Secretariat widened the lead to 10, 15, 20, eventually 31 lengths, Turcotte peeked back over his shoulder to see where the rest of the field was.

He found them--up the track. Far up the track. “They looked like they were in the ninth race,” he said.

The victory gave Turcotte five Triple Crown wins in two years, an unprecedented accomplishment. And if it hadn’t been for Riva Ridge being uncomfortable in the mud, he might have been six for six.

Again the paralyzed jockey thrust his head back, laughing hard at the memories.

What a time that was.